New Year, New Takeout

How this tasty Houston company takes the stress out of mealtimes

January is a terrific time for personal renewal, and often that includes shedding unwanted pounds and adopting a healthier lifestyle. Sound good? Of course it does. Sound realistic? It can be, especially if you hire out the daunting task of cooking and meal prep to someone who knows exactly what they're doing.

Since 1995, Patti Ramsey has been helping Houstonians with discerning tastes enjoy healthy lifestyle cuisine through her company, Epicurean Group.

The full-service catering company — the longest continually operating healthy take-out and delivery service in the city — prepares great-tasting, fresh, and healthy meals and then delivers them to your home or holds them for you to pick up. The menus are changed weekly and include breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and à la carte selections.

But it gets better: Each week's menu is well under 30 percent fat, high in fiber, and seasoned to perfection. There are vegetarian, heart-healthy, and low-carb options, too.

To help make sure you're filling up on the right kinds of food, each menu also contains three to five servings of fruits and vegetables. The meals are ready to eat right out of the box or after some simple re-heating, meaning that even the busiest among us can make time for happy bellies — and that includes families. Imagine the daily stress of what to fix for dinner: gone.

If you're only chowing down on a few Epicurean Group meals a week, the company still has your back with other suggested options, to ensure you only consume either 1,200 or 1,800 calories per day.

Need to feed a crowd? Epicurean Group also provides full-service catering, covering everything from the food and beverage to the staffing, space rental, and entertainment. If you thought they made your day-to-day life easier, then just wait until you experience their luncheons, boxed lunches, cocktail parties, dinner parties, or receptions.

Browse the available meals at Epicurean Group's website, then make sure to have your orders in by 10 am Friday morning. That next Monday morning, either swing by Epicurean Group's office in River Oaks off Memorial or await delivery to your door. It could not be easier to eat better in 2018, and your taste buds will agree.

Herbed chicken paillard and grilled vegetable napoleon with fresh pomodoro sauce, served with orzo pasta.

Photo courtesy of Epicurean Group

Herbed chicken paillard and grilled vegetable napoleon with fresh pomodoro sauce, served with orzo pasta.

dinner health breakfast promoted lunch

keep rolling

Hot Houston hand roll spot is first restaurant at new EaDo development

Handies Douzo Facebook

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Houstonians with a seemingly unlimited appetite for sushi hand rolls will soon have another destination to satisfy their cravings. Handies Douzo will open its next location in East Blocks, an adaptive reuse project in EaDo.

On track to open in late 2026 or early 2027 at 1107 Hutchins Street, the EaDo location will be Handies Douzo’s fifth, joining the original in the Heights as well as restaurants in Montrose, Spring Branch, and an upcoming outpost in Uptown’s new Central Park Post Oak development. Like those siblings, it will serve Handies’ familiar menu of hand rolls (temaki), crudos, and sashimi that’s overseen by founding chefs and co-owners Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham. The 2,000-square-foot space will feature Handies’ familiar U-shaped counter seating.

Handies is known for wrapping its rolls in crispy seaweed that gives each bite a distinct crunch. The well-executed dishes and affordable prices helped Handies earn a nomination for Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

"We've been very intentional about where we grow, and East Blocks immediately stood out," Pham and Lee said in a statement. "There's an authenticity to EaDo and a strong sense of community that aligns with our brand. We're excited to be part of a project focused on creating an energetic, walkable destination."

1107 Hutchins rendering Handies will occupy 2,000 square feet at 1107 Hutchins.Courtesy of Pagewood

1107 Hutchins and the nearby 2202 Dallas — each of which are 15,000 square feet — represent phase one of local real estate firm Pagewood’s plans to East Blocks. First announced in 2023, plans call for renovating warehouses into a walkable district of shops, restaurants, offices, and green space. Gensler is leading architecture and design for the project, with landscape architecture by SWA.

"East Blocks reflects a long-term belief in EaDo and the kind of place it’s becoming," said Mat Volz, Managing Principal of PAGEWOOD. "As the project has evolved, our commitment to that vision has only strengthened. Breaking ground on Phase 1 is an exciting step forward, particularly as this neighborhood prepares to welcome the world. With the FIFA Fan Festival taking place just steps from East Blocks and bringing thousands of visitors daily to EaDo, we see this project playing a meaningful role in that energy and in the long-term evolution of the district."

openings news-you-can-eat eado east blocks